


Together

by Luxy



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Fluff, Jitzu, background Mimo and 2yeon, background sochaeng? chaemi? chaesomi?, maybe some 'steamy' scenes in the future? ;), saida
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-05-28 21:21:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15058040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luxy/pseuds/Luxy
Summary: 9 friends share a living complex in the building owned by one of their friend's, Myoui Mina's, parents. Follow their relationships as they work to figure out who holds, held, or will hold, their heart...A high school AU that focuses mainly on the ships Jitzu (because I'm trash for them..) with Saida, Mimo, and 2yeon also appearing. Chaeyoung is paired with Somi, so our little tiger cub won't be the odd one out without a relationship.





	1. [S] Saturday - Sleeping Tofu

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoy my first fic on AO3! And I apologize in advance for any grammar mistakes there may be. ^^
> 
> [S] = Saida focused chapter  
> [J] = Jitzu focused chapter  
> [N] = Neither  
> ( Maybe coming in the future: [M] = Mature )

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 7 girls go out to the mall. Sleeping Tofu and a certain 'snake' are home alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to make them all have their same personalities as they do in real life, I'm going to make it as accurate as I can, but I might have to change the way some of them act for certain bits of the story. I am going to avoid straying from who they are in reality as much as I possibly can.  
> I'll be trying to add drama and conflict into the fluff to make the story slightly more interesting for the following chapters... If my heart will allow it... I'm also doing my best not to fill this fic with 90% Jitzu stories, heh. I'm aiming for a 50/50 Jitzu and Saida centered AU with some of the members' ships on the side as seen by the relationship tags.

Chaeyoung and Tzuyu are finally entering freshmen year at JYP High and joining their 6 other friends at the high school as soon as the school year begins. On the total opposite side of things, Nayeon is going to begin her first year of college attending JYP University for Invisionaries and Artists as soon as the schools year starts up.. (The U.I.A is one of the multiple branches of a large educational brand/corporation, JYP.)

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

It's Saturday, two days away from the first day of school, and six friends Nayeon, Mina, Momo, Jeongyeon, Jihyo, and Sana were all ready to go out shopping. They are just waiting for their three youngest friends...

“Chou Tzuyu, Kim Dahyun, Son Chaeyoung! We’re going! Hurry up, we’re not waiting for you anymore,” Nayeon yells from the doorway. Just then, Tzuyu rushes around the corner into view, in the middle of putting on her light jacket.

“Sorry, sorry!”

“It’s fine Tzuyu-ah. Grandma Nayeon is just grumpy when she’s impatient,” Jihyo smiles at her warmly as the tall maknae finishes zipping up her jacket. Nayeon shoots her a glare at the title ‘grandma’.

“Where’s Chae and Dubu?” Jeongyeon asks.

“Chaeyoungie was trying to wake Dahyun-unnie last I saw, but I think Chaeyoung will still come even if--”

“I’m here, sorry! I gave up on trying to wake ‘Sleeping Tofu’ back there,” interrupts Chaeyoung, who rushes around the corner not too long after her tall friend.

“I managed to get her up for a minute, but she just mumbled a ‘no’ and went back to sleep, like, immediately,” she informs the others as Tzuyu hands Chaeyoung her jacket.

“I can stay behind with Dahyunnie,” Momo offers.

“No, I’ll stay Momo. I know you were looking forward to the shopping trip today. Anyway, I have some homework I’d like to work on,” Sana quickly speaks up. Momo looks like she wants to say something more and Jihyo looks to be getting ready to lecture the girl about ‘leaving uncompleted homework assigned over the summer until the last day’, but Nayeon doesn't want to wait any longer.

“Alright, it’s decided! Let’s go. See you later, Sana. You know who to call if you burn the dorm down or something. Take care of our Dubu! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Nayeon says as she opens the door, grabs, Jeongyeon’s wrist, and pulls her out the door. The other girls can't do much more than say goodbye to Sana as they follow the oldest out the door. Sana hears the muffled chatter slowly fade as the group moves farther away and the door to the apartment closes. She sighs as the silence engulfs their living complex, and decides to go make herself some coffee.

 

Sana is humming softly to herself as she goes through her work when she hears a door creak open softly. Upon hearing soft footsteps, Sana looks up from her papers and smiles warmly as Dahyun sluggishly walks into the common room. _“Cute,”_ Sana thinks. She gets up, cheerily moves towards Dahyun, and plants a quick and gentle kiss on Dahyun’s cheek.

“Morning sleepy head~,” Sana greets her brightly. Dahyun looks up at the sound of her voice and the sudden contact while she rubs the sleep from her eyes, confused.

“..Sana? Sana-unnie why are you still here? Didn’t everyone already leave to go shopping..?” Dahyun mumbles as she walks towards the table and sits herself down across from where Sana had been sitting before.

“Yeah, the others left. I offered to stay behind with you. ..By the way, you’re so adorable when you’re just waking up,” Sana remarks. “Coffee?”

Dahyun shakes her head and yawns, “I just plan on getting some water before going back to sleep for a little while longer. Coffee would just ruin my plans.” Sana hums in response as she moves towards the sink and she hands a glass of water to Dahyun. When Dahyun finishes drinking her water she gets up, puts the cup in the sink, shuffles back to her room and softly closes her door.

 

* * *

 

It has been almost two hours, and Sana isn't sure what to do since she has just finished her last bit of summer homework. She is walking down the hall back towards the living room when she sees that Dahyun’s door is open a crack, and she decides to go check up on her. She quietly pushes open the door enough for her to slip inside the room. Sana nears Dahyun’s bed and she trips. She would’ve fallen right on Dahyun if she didn’t catch herself. The only problem is how she ended up when she caught herself. She is holding herself up, right above Dahyun. Her hands are on either side of the younger's head with her legs were also on either side of Dahyun’s.

The impact causes the bed to shake, so Dahyun opens her eyes and turns to look above her. Her half-closed eyes drowsily stare into Sana’s. Sana holds her breath as Dahyun mumbles, “Unnie..? Wha--” Just then her brain registers their compromising position and Dahyun blushes furiously as she realizes the closeness of Sana’s face. The adorable flushed face of the tofu makes Sana’s heart beat faster and adrenaline starts rushing through her veins as she blushes.

Dahyun starts sputtering but is interrupted as she takes a sharp inhale of air as Sana leans down so her mouth is just beside Dahyun’s ear.

“You’re just so adorable sometimes, you know that?” Sana breathes sensually as a sudden rush of bravery spikes through her, “You make it so hard for me to ignore you sometimes.”

Dahyun starts slinking farther up the bed and away from Sana’s face while speaking frantically, “Where are the others? I mean, they should be back from shopping right now, right? It’s been like, what, at least 2 hours? It shouldn’t take that long, I mean unless Momo decided to get food, or Nayeon dragged Jeongyeon somewhere. Tzuyu could’ve dragged Jihyo somewhere too. Or Chaeyoung. Mina could’ve also dragged someone around.. But, seriously, where are they?!”

She squeaks out the last sentence with a rapidly growing panic to match the rapidly closing distance between hers and the older girl’s face. Just then, they hear the front door being opened and pushed aside as the sound of multiple pairs of feet echoes throughout the shared apartment. Dahyun breathes out a large sigh of relief and thanks God for the intervention.

“WE’RE HOME! AND WE BROUGHT DINNER! YOU GUYS AREN’T DEAD RIGHT?” They hear Chaeyoung’s voice ring through their home. “..Where are you guys?” she asks as she starts walking down the hallway. Sana quickly gets off of Dahyun and speed-walks to the doorway, poking her head out of it to see that Chaeyoung had almost seen them.

“H-hey! Welcome home!” Sana greets Chaeyoung.

“Hey! ..Why were you in our room, unnie?”

“I had just gotten Dahyun-ah to wake up a second before you guys got home and I also wanted to make sure she wasn't sick considering how long she slept.”

“Ah, finally! She, who sleeps like a log,  _and is as smart as one_ ," Chaeyoung mutters, "Is awake centuries later.”

“Yah! I can hear you, Chae! I'll have you know that I'm one of the top students in my classes!” Dahyun huffs as she comes to the doorway, with a ridiculously exaggerated pout. Chaeyoung bursts into laughter at the sight of her expression, but thinks better of laughing when she remembers what her best friend can do for revenge.

“Welcome back to the land of the living Dubu!” the short girl calls as she makes a run for the living room with the hope of using her tall best friend as a shield, but she doesn't make it far down the hallway. She ends up being dragged the rest of the way down the hallway towards the living room by Dahyun, who has put her into a firm yet playful headlock. The girl pumps her arms while still in the headlock and exclaims cheerily, “Movie night!!! Tzuyu-ah! Momo-unnie! Have you picked a movie yet?!”

“Nope,” echo the two voices. Chaeyoung squirms out of Dahyun’s hold and skips over to Tzuyu and Momo who are currently searching for something to watch. Dahyun walks into the main room and turns to see Mina and Jihyo getting bowls and chopsticks ready.

“How was the mall?” Dahyun asks the two, leaning her elbows on the counter as Sana walks into the common room. She comes up behind the pale girl who is politely and intently listening to the two other girls recount what they had done at the mall. Dahyun tenses as a slender pair of arms wrap around her waist and light pressure is put on her shoulder. Sana has gently wrapped her arms around her before resting her chin gently on the younger’s shoulder. When Mina and Jihyo finish talking, Dahyun wastes no time and gently removes herself from the back hug to jog over to Momo and the two younger girls. She hopes the three will be a nice break from Sana, considering she’s now considerably more flustered around the older girl. She quickly makes her way to them, drapes herself over Momo and asks, “You guys pick something yet?”

While the four of them argue over a movie Sana huffs, defeated by the loss of Dahyun’s presence and attention. Mina and Jihyo look at her questioningly to which the girl answers, “I’ll tell you later.” The two other girls just exchange glances before nodding to Sana and going back to portioning the food.

“What’d you get?” Dahyun calls from Momo’s lap.

“Momo, of course, got herself jokbal. I don’t think she has any intention of sharing with any of us,” Jihyo answers. She smiles at seeing an exasperated Tzuyu walk towards her unnies after giving up on participating as a member of her friends' "Movie Democracy" for the night. The fact that their loud arguing was giving the young girl a headache, along with the fact that they weren’t letting her input her opinion, had gotten on Tzuyu’s nerves.

“Not really... But I’ll let you have a little bit if you want some Dahyun-chan~,” Momo says to Dahyun, smiling. Sana clenches her fists at this and huffs; the reaction does not go unnoticed by the perceptive Tzuyu, Mina, and Jihyo. They glance at her, confused, as Mina and Jihyo place the nine bowls on the counter for the rest of the girls to pick. Mina brushes past Sana and whispers in Japanese, “ _What’s going on?”_ Sana just shrugs and grabs a bowl and chopsticks before heading to settle on the couch. She puts down her food on the coffee table before snuggling up against Dahyun. Dahyun tenses at the sudden contact and stays very still as she continues to watch the remaining two girls of their democracy pick a movie. When the two finally decide on a movie, the pale girl abruptly excuses herself and grabs a bowl of food for herself from the kitchen counter.

It wasn’t long before the seven other girls also grab their respected bowls before settling on the couch in front of the television. Instead of coming back to her original spot, Dahyun sits between Momo and Tzuyu on cushions on the floor in front of the couch. Jihyo places herself on the couch behind Tzuyu, Mina sits beside Chaeyoung, who sits behind Dahyun before Sana could move or protest. Sana finds herself behind Momo and in between Mina and Nayeon with Jeongyeon next to the ‘fake maknae’, slash 'grandma',  at the edge of the couch. Sana reaches over Momo to grab her bowl right before Tzuyu turns on the movie. Sana keeps glancing at Momo, Dahyun, Tzuyu, and Chaeyoung. She has a hard time focusing on the film when she sees in her peripherals that the three girls were being more touchy than she would like with her beloved Dubu.

  

A few minutes into the movie and Dahyun was leaning against Tzuyu, who she is whispering animatedly to. Tzuyu quietly and politely listens and nods absent-mindedly to whatever Dahyun is saying, but she is clearly uninterested. She is mostly focused on the figure behind her, Jihyo, who was now playing with her hair. Dahyun finishes talking and leans her head on Tzuyu’s shoulder, who just barely tolerates the skinship. Sana saw the minuscule motion of Tzuyu breathing out a sigh of relief when Momo snuggles into Dahyun’s side making Dahyun reposition herself. The younger relaxes as Dahyun was no longer making contact with her. Jihyo leans down and whispers something in the tall girl’s ear making her lean her head back into Jihyo’s lap to look up at her, she smiles softly, and nods. She keeps eye contact with the older girl, making the latter blush and break the intense gaze.  
Tzuyu smiles softly with amusement and whispers in Mandarin, “ _Your face is red_.”  This just makes Jihyo blush more furiously and reply in her broken Mandarin, “ _No helping_.” Her response makes the younger’s smile grow bigger as she shifts to poke the tip of Jihyo’s nose before turning her attention back to the movie.

Sana grins fondly at the adorable interaction but immediately loses the smile as she turns her attention back to Dahyun. The pale girl was currently looking at Momo who was talking to her. That wouldn’t usually be a problem, except their faces are so close to each other. Sana also notices that Chaeyoung was now playing with Dahyun’s hair with Mina leaning into the short girl’s side. The squirrel-faced girl turns to see Nayeon and Jeongyeon lovingly annoying each other. Boy does Sana feel like the 9th wheel.

 

* * *

 

 

Almost two hours later, the movie was coming to an end. Dahyun had transitioned to sit in Momo’s lap at one point in the movie, Nayeon and Jeongyeon stopped annoying each other and are just enjoying each other’s company, Chaeyoung was resting her head against Mina’s, and Tzuyu had persuaded Jihyo to sit on her lap on the floor. Tzuyu and Momo were currently whispering in the current resident of their lap’s ears, a.k.a Dahyun and Jihyo. Dahyun is laughing at what the dancer is saying while Jihyo's face is flushing pink ever so slightly, and she seems to be murmuring rapidly to herself. The credits finally play and Jihyo starts ushering the youngest to go to bed.

“But Jihyo-unnie,” Chaeyoung whines. “It’s Saturday night. We don’t have school tomorrow, can’t we stay up just a _little_ more?”

“No, Chae. Go to bed. Now,” Jihyo answers strictly as she gently, but firmly pushes Chaeyoung down the hallway. Tzuyu follows the pair obediently not waiting for Dahyun, who slowly and reluctantly gets up from her seat in Momo’s lap. Sana watches the four disappear down the hallway, amused by the routine when she is startled by Mina who wraps herself around Sana’s arm. Meanwhile, Momo, Jeongyeon, and Nayeon take the departure of the youngest as their cue to finish up for the night as well. Momo moves over to their kitchen sink, seeing as she's on dishwashing duty for the night, and Jeongyeon supports a sleepy Nayeon as they walk to their room.

“ _Will you tell me now?_ ” Mina asks Sana softly, speaking in Japanese.

“ _Tell you what?_ ”

“ _Don’t play dumb. You know what I’m talking about._ ”

Sana sighs and shrugs, “ _Alright, fine._ ”

Hearing the two converse in Japanese catches Momo’s attention and she glances at them from her place at the kitchen sink with curiosity. The dancer finds herself reflexively listening to them speak in her, and their, native language seeing as it was unusual because now, they pretty much only speak in Korean unless it's something they'd like to keep between just the three of them. It's her night to clean the dishes seeing as ‘Mom’ Jihyo can't do _all_ the chores _every_ single day. Sana feels Momo’s gaze and quickly lowers her voice to whisper to the ballerina, “ _But not while Momo is listening._ ”Mina looks over at the kitchen sink to see that Momo has paused in washing the dishes. She just nods at Sana, following her request.

Meanwhile, in the maknae room, Dahyun can't stop thinking about what Sana did earlier that day. Across the room on the bunk bed that held the two youngest, Jihyo being the ‘mother’, is making sure that the two were comfortable. Tzuyu gently takes a hold of Jihyo’s wrist as she moves to leave the room. Jihyo turns her head to look Tzuyu in the eyes.

“Sing a lullaby for us?” she asks softly.

“I don’t know Chewy-ah..” Jihyo sighs as she runs her free hand through her hair.

Tzuyu starts to use her puppy eyes and Jihyo keeps breaking eye contact, returning her gaze to the other’s face, then breaking eye contact again, and so on.

“Yeah, lullaby! Pleaaase Jihyo-unnie!” Chaeyoung calls from the top bunk, interrupting Jihyo’s vicious cycle of trying to be unfazed by Tzuyu’s begging puppy eyes.

“..Alright fine. Gosh, you two are just like children,” the older girl relents, being beaten 2:1.

“And you’re our mom! You love us though,” Chaeyoung teases fondly in a sing-song voice. Jihyo, who is slightly embarrassed, sings to them.  Dahyun would’ve tossed, turned and gotten no sleep if not for Tzuyu, who has unknowingly helped her fall asleep. She is actually able to drift off to sleep that night thanks to Jihyo’s soft and melodic voice.

 

* * *

 

 

Meanwhile, in the room that held the three Japanese friends, Mina and Sana have managed to come up with an excuse to usher Momo out of the room after the third girl went with them to their room. Conveniently, Momo had forgotten to put the dishes away after washing them which prompted the other two to remind Momo that it is a responsibility of the night time dishwasher. Mina is sitting crossed legged on Sana’s bed with Sana herself sitting next to her with her knees pulled up to her chin.

“So..” Mina breaks the silence.

“Yeah, so..”

“What happened between you and the apartment’s resident tofu?”

“...”

“Come on, you can tell me. Or.. would you rather tell Momo or Nayeon-unnie?~”

“No, no! No please,” Sana answers quickly.

Mina giggles at her friend’s reaction, “Alright, so tell me. _Please_ , Sana.”

“Well, I know what happened but not _why_  I did what I did. I just--”

“Hey, it's okay. I changed my mind. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to,” Mina interrupts her gently. Sana repeatedly opens and closes her mouth, trying to say something only to stop herself and rethink what she is going to say.

After a few seconds of watching Sana backtrack and contemplate, Mina speaks up, “How about you sleep on it and decide if you actually want to tell me. I'll call Momo back in so we can sleep.”

"Thanks, Minari," Sana nods absentmindedly as she crawls under her blankets and Mina opens their room’s door a crack to let Momo back in if, or if at all, she is finished with cleaning. A minute later, Momo comes in closing the door behind her, turns off the lights and makes her way to the top bunk on her shared bunk bed, with Mina being on the lower bunk. The three Japanese friends drift off into their respective dreamlands that their mind has conjured up for the night.

 

* * *

 

 

Jihyo tucks the three youngest in and gives Chaeyoung and Tzuyu a light kiss on their head after doing so. Both girls' lips reflexively curve up into a small smile as their body registers the contact even through their unconscious state. She then softly closes the door after one last fond look at the three sleeping figures and heads into her own room. She's met by the sounds of one of her childhood friends snoring in the bunk right above her other childhood friend who she is slightly surprised to see reading this late into the night.

"Jal jayo Jisoo," Nayeon says as she notices Jihyo sliding into her own bed for the night.

Jihyo doesn't bother correcting Nayeon, even though she knows her friend was doing it to annoy her, as she mutters back to Nayeon, "Goodnight, Nabongs." A few minutes later, Nayeon finishes the page she was reading and turns her small reading light off before snuggling into her own covers to join her roommates in the dream world.

The apartment that's housing the nine friends is engulfed in a peaceful silence, each room having their own unique snores that reverberate in their rooms.


	2. [N] Monday - First Day Shenanigans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day of, or back to, high school is always a little chaotic and JYP High is no exception. Jihyo and Tzuyu each say their part at the assembly that occurs for the students on the first day. Tzuyu is dragged around by Chaeyoung who readily follows Dahyun. The three youngest reunite with a friend they haven't seen for almost a year. The six older girls watch fondly and talk. The girls, when they can, try to assist Tzuyu, who is getting drained by the chaos, in monitoring the two other maknaes' shenanigans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [N] means the chapter focuses on neither/none of the ships.

Monday morning, Tzuyu wakes up to a faint, yet delicious, smell coming from down the hallway. Turning over in her bed, she glances at her clock which reads “ _6:03 a.m_ .” She grabs some clothes and goes to the bathroom to take a shower. As she passes down the hallway into the bathroom, she hears energetic humming and smiles to herself, “ _Jihyo._ ”

 

After she finishes showering, getting dressed and brushing her teeth, she moves into the kitchen to see the figure still humming happily. Tzuyu moves up behind Jihyo silently, stopping right behind her before she gently sets her chin down on the older girl’s head. She feels Jihyo jump and the older girl turns around.

“Tzuyu-ah! Oh my god, you scared me!” Jihyo slaps Tzuyu’s arm playfully, still catching her breath from the scare. The tall girl just laughs cheekily at the older girl’s mock pout.

“Do you _want_ me to ruin the bacon?”

Tzuyu’s ears perk up, “..Bacon?”

Jihyo sighs and nods, gesturing first to the bacon she is cooking and then to the plate beside the stove that already held a few pieces. Tzuyu makes a move to snatch a strip from the plate when Jihyo quickly grabs her wrist with her left hand to stop her while still managing the pan with bacon with her right.

“No. Bad Tzuyoda. Make a few lunches first and then you can have a piece,” Jihyo chastises. Tzuyu pouts before grabbing ingredients to make the lunches.

 

A few minutes later soft footsteps are heard coming down from the hallway that connects the bedroom entrances and Jihyo briefly turns her head to look at the person walking in.

“Good morning, Minari,” she greets the other early bird cheerily before turning her attention back to the stove.

“Good morning Jihyo-ah, Tzuyu-ah.”

“You can grab a piece of bacon if you want before you start setting the table,”

“Okay, thanks,” Mina grabs a strip of bacon from the plate, putting it in her mouth, and then moving on to get cutlery and plates. All the while, Tzuyu watches the interaction and then turns back to Jihyo, pouting.

“Why did you let Mina-unnie get bacon and not me,” Tzuyu complains with a playful, mock feeling of betrayal.

“Because I know Minari will set the plates anyway, while you, probably would’ve taken a piece then leave to go watch TV,” Jihyo responds calmly. Tzuyu couldn’t really argue with that, though she personally knew she wouldn’t let the older girl do all the work alone in the morning, she found that too cheesy to tell to her unnie’s face.

“Mina-unnie. Do you have any preferences for your lunch? I was just planning to split up the leftovers,” the tall girl asks the ballerina, who had finished setting plates.

“No. I’m okay with leftovers. Thanks though, Chewy-ah.”

Tzuyu nods and continues making the lunches as Jihyo moves on to make pancakes and hashbrowns. Jihyo asks Chaeyoung, who was the next to wake up, to make sure everyone had their supplies in their bags for school.  She also asks the younger to remind the others to check their bags personally. One by one the other six girls wake up and sluggishly walk in the room and sit down at their usual seats at the table, protesting all the while.

 

A few minutes later after all the dishes had been piled up in the sink the girls start checking to make sure they're ready. As they exit their apartment building they split up into pairs, except for one who makes a duo a trio. Momo walks with Dahyun and Chaeyoung, Mina and Sana walk together, Nayeon and Jeongyeon take up the rear, with Jihyo and Tzuyu walking side by side at the front. Nayeon splits from the group to take the bus to her college about halfway through their walk. A few minutes later, the rest of the group nears the school gate and Jihyo taps Tzuyu’s shoulder to get her attention. The tall girl shifts her gaze down to look at the other.

“Don’t forget to be backstage in the auditorium a good few minutes before the assembly is scheduled to start. We can't afford to have you be late due to you losing track of time while talking to new friends due to newfound popularity.”

“I know, I know. Don't worry. I wouldn't leave you up on that stage alone and let you down,” Tzuyu assures her, smiling down at her fondly. She takes her left hand away from holding the strap of her bag that’s over her shoulder and moves her hand down to squeeze Jihyo’s before returning it to its original position. Mina and Sana, who are behind the two, exchange glances and smiles after seeing the gesture.

The group rushes off to join their friends as soon as they step in the gate. Tzuyu and Chaeyoung, being freshmen, are dragged off by Dahyun to introduce the two to her small circle of school friends. Tzuyu is clearly uncomfortable with the group of energetic people suddenly swarming around Chaeyoung and herself. The former fits in and eagerly matches their energy, unaware of the latter’s forced half-hearted and emotionally drained smiles.

 

* * *

 

The rowdy large crowd of high schoolers is called to the auditorium for the assembly. Tzuyu is grateful to have an excuse to separate herself from the chaotic group of her new friends. She meets Jihyo backstage where the older is pacing back and forth. Jihyo sees Tzuyu and instantly goes over to her asking, “Are you ready? Do you have the script if you need it? Don’t be worried, it’s going to be okay.”

“I think you’re more nervous than I am, unnie. And yes, I am prepared. I’ll be fine. _You_ should stop worrying. Deep breaths,” Tzuyu says as she grabs a hold of Jihyo’s shoulders to stop her pacing. Jihyo takes her advice and takes a few deep breaths before placing one of her hands over Tzuyu’s hand on her left shoulder.

“Thanks, Tzuyu-ah.” They smile softly at each other before a voice echoes through the speakers signaling for the students to quiet down. Tzuyu and Jihyo hear the cue and move to take a seat on the chairs behind the microphone. Multiple other figures, the teachers, take their seats near the two students. Finally, one last suited figure appears and takes his place at the microphone as polite applause fills the auditorium.

The man waits for the clapping to die down before speaking, “Welcome all new students and welcome back for all our returning students. I am Park Jinyoung, the headmaster of this school. Behind me are where your teachers are seated, along with our student council president and vice president. I just wanted to introduce myself and let you all know that I am not as scary as I may seem, I promise. Just ask the juniors or the seniors.”  
The comment makes laughter ripple through the crowd along with some scattered whoops coming from older students and Mr. Park smiles, “Now, I will hand things off to the student council.” More applause echoes as Tzuyu steps up to the microphone. The chatter abruptly dies as she starts speaking and the silence is filled with awe.

“Hello. I am Chou Tzuyu, a first year and the vice president of the student council. I will give a brief rundown of the class schedule and the events that will occur over the year for all the new students like myself. I will also give a few examples of a few of the most popular clubs we have. This will include the sports that are offered at this school.”

After Tzuyu has finished her part she turns so her right side is still facing the crowd and turns towards Jihyo and briefly beckons her over, “Now, I will pass things over to our student council president. Park Jihyo.” Clapping builds up again, and this time accompanied by a few whoops. Tzuyu turns back to the microphone, “Kim Dahyun, Son Chaeyoung. Stop that now. You’re disturbing the assembly.” She glares at where her friends are seated and the culprits lower their hands sheepishly and stop cheering “God Jihyo”. Laughter bubbles through the auditorium once again as Dahyun’s friends poke fun at the two.

Jihyo shakily gets up from her seat and makes her way to the front where Tzuyu is holding out a hand to her with a comforting smile. As she reaches the microphone, Tzuyu steps away, puts a hand on her shoulder, and whispers, “You’ll be fine. Don’t worry. Deep breaths,” before sitting back down.

“Hello. As Tzuyu has said, I am Park Jihyo, the student council president and a third year. I will be pointing out the designated students that will help any exchange students that need help in learning Korean. First,” Jihyo switches to Japanese. She recites the lines that she had practiced over and over with the help of her three Japanese friends verifying her pronunciation.  
“ _For the Japanese students, Mina will help you all get more accustomed to Korean. If she is preoccupied with another student, she will point you in the direction of two others who will assist you in her stead. I will have her show herself in a moment,_ “ She then switches to English, “Mina will also help any new English speaking students with learning Korean. Mina, please stand up, so they know who to look for.” Mina shyly raises her hand as she rises from her auditorium seat.

“That is Mina, the student council secretary,” Jihyo clarifies in English before switching to Japanese once more to repeat the same clarification. After Jihyo is done, Mina sits back down feeling relieved that she’s no longer the center of attention.

Finally, Jihyo switches to Mandarin, and even though Tzuyu assured her that her pronunciation was completely fine, the student council president was still unconfident. The younger said her pronunciation was almost flawless, even, and her accent wasn’t a big deal but that didn’t help ease her worry in the slightest. She was, however, flattered by the praise, but she also assumed it to be false praise just to try and comfort her.

“ _For the Mandarin-speaking students, student council vice president Tzuyu will help you all get more accustomed to Korean. I myself know a little bit, but am not close to fluent in the slightest. So only come to me if Tzuyu is too busy with another,_ ” Jihyo says before moving on to the next topics.

 

* * *

 

 

Jihyo wraps up the assembly and the crowd of teenagers disperses to mingle before their first class of the day that’ll occur in about 20 minutes. The student council president and vice president reunite with their other seven roommates. Dahyun and Chaeyoung chuckle nervously and sheepishly under Tzuyu’s light glare. She hadn’t forgotten how obnoxious they were during the assembly. She lightly knocks the top of both of their heads while hissing, “You two could’ve made Jihyo’s anxiety worse than it already was before she stepped up.”

“Sorry..” the two muttered at the same time when Tzuyu knocked their heads again.

“Apologize to Jihyo-unnie, not me, you idiots,” she reprimanded fondly.

“Tzuyu-ah, it’s okay. I know they didn’t mean to--,” Jihyo steps in, trying to dismiss the need for an apology.

“Sorry Jihyo-unnie..” the two younger mutter a second apology before Jihyo can finish.

“Anyway!” Chaeyoung brightens up and turns to Tzuyu, “When you stepped up to the microphone, I looked around. And boy, were those reactions priceless Chewy-ah! So many people’s jaws dropped or eyes widened. You were so calm and professional. I’m pretty sure they all thought you were the student council president instead of vice president or that you were a senior! Not a freshman! Our Tzuyu is all grown up.”

“She’s a young woman now. They grow up so fast,” Dahyun joins in with the fake sentimental tears.

“..Chaeyoung you’re the same age as me, even though it feels like you aren’t most of the time. And Dahyun, you’re only one year older.”

“That’s no way to talk to your elders!”

“Mentally, you two are not my elders.”

“Wow! That hurts. I didn’t raise this girl to be so savage and disrespectful,” Chaeyoung pouts dramatically.

“I’m glad you didn’t raise me at all. As you are right now, you would make horrible parents. Both of you.”

“Hey! I can be responsible and a good mentor to my child!” Dahyun argues.

“..I wouldn’t trust Gucci with you. Let alone a child.”

“So savage. I take it back, I’m so proud of my Chewy-ah!” Chaeyoung goes over to try and hug Tzuyu. The latter puts a hand out and presses it against Chaeyoung’s forehead, stopping her from coming closer. The short girl walks in place, her movements, and position reminiscent of a zombie. The six other girls laugh at the youngest two.

“So.. Mina, Sana, Tzuyu. When does the line of confessions start for you three? Is it at the same time, or what,” Jeongyeon asks.

“What line of confessions?” Tzuyu turns to the oldest girl. She drops her hand as she diverts her attention to Jeongyeon, allowing Chaeyoung to softly wrap her arms around one of the Taiwanese's.

“Right, it’s your first year. You might not have ‘The Line’ today. But seeing as Chaeyoung mentioned the reactions to your appearance on stage, which none of us were surprised to see, you’ll probably be getting lots of admirers.”

“Wait, what? Are they going to ask me out or something?”

“Probably. I don’t know if they’ll do it today considering all the older years know you’re a freshman and the other freshmen don’t know about ‘The Line’. But I bet it’ll happen sometime this month. You’re definitely building a line of admirers like our two Japanese sweethearts over here. I get a decent sized line and Dahyun and Jihyo get a small group of people. Chaeyoung might get one or two, but nowhere near as many as you. Seeing as you were up on stage, displaying your otherworldly beauty to all.”

“I’m not that beautiful unnie..”

“So humble! So pure and innocent,” Chaeyoung dramatically swoons.

“We don’t deserve the presence of this angel,” Dahyun chimes in matching the girl’s dramatic tone. Tzuyu rolls her eyes, trying to hide that she’s flattered by the exaggerated praise. She starts walking away from the group and down the hall. The two shorter girls jog to catch up to her and grab on to the sides of her uniform. Meanwhile, the six other friends grin fondly before turning back to each other and talking about their class schedule and what clubs they might be taking.

“Seeing as the club fair is in a couple weeks, we'll have to ask the other three about their choices at lunch. There’s no catching them right now,” Jeongyeon says as she glances at the retreating figures.

 

“Chewy-ah! I’m sorry! Don’t hate me! Don’t give me the silent treatment and blazing glares! Forgive your best friend,” Chaeyoung cries out, clinging to Tzuyu’s arm in the hallway.

“Me too! Forgive your favorite unnie!” Dahyun calls right after Chaeyoung, also latching on to the taller girl.

“You’re not my favorite unnie. You move farther down my list every day,” Tzuyu shoots back half-heartedly.

“Wah! So rude! That hurt Chewy-ah!” Dahyun pouts.

“You’ll get over it,” Tzuyu pats Dahyun’s head fondly as she shakes the two off of her arms.

“Now, stop it. You’re drawing attention.”

“Aw~, is our baby shy? Shy from all the admiring eyes? Are her unnies embarrassing her?”

“Stop it, I mean it. We have a few minutes before our first class starts, so..”

“Look Chaeng, Tzu! Somi! We get to talk to Somi!” Dahyun skips over to her friends whom she sees in the distance. Chaeyoung, who's smile is blinding at the mention of their friend, takes Tzuyu’s hand and pulls her along to meet them. As soon as they come into earshot, the first thing the two overhear is, “Did you see those few new transfer students?”

 

As they join the group, Chaeyoung asks, “What about new students? What’s so special about them? A lot of us are new, including you, so what’s the big deal?”

Tzuyu nods in silent agreement as their old friend, Somi, turns to Chaeyoung smiling, “Long time no see, you three. About the newbies, they’re pretty attractive,” she turns to the Taiwanese girl, “I’m pretty sure they were smitten by your looks. Like every other student in the school. Not even an hour into the school day and you’ve already caught the attention of, like, _all_ the cute boys in the school. I’m jealous, Tzu.”

“..You still can't call me that.”

“Fine," Somi sighs,"Well, do any of the boys catch your attention?” She waggles her eyebrows playfully at Tzuyu. The girl stares back at her with an emotionless face and, without hesitating, answers bluntly, “No.”

Dahyun butts in, “Somi, you know as well as we do that no one can make their way into this girl’s heart easily. She adds, “All three years I’ve known her, and I’ve never seen her head-over-heels for anyone. Not even a celebrity crush.” She reaches up to poke the tall girl’s nose. Tzuyu turns her gaze down to the younger and just silently stares at her. Dahyun shrinks down, slightly intimidated.

“Okay, okay. Sorry, Chewy. It’s true though.”

Tzuyu sighs and rolls her eyes while Somi watches the two’s interaction.

“You guys haven't changed much over the past year. Still as scary as always, I see,” Somi comments fondly.

“Heh, that’s one of her weaker ones. It's half-hearted; we know she loves us. And, she knows what I said is true~.”

This time Chaeyoung is the one that butts in, “Well, I have an idea of maybe one person she likes~. I’m not sure though, she hides her feelings well. But, she seems to have taken a liking to J--,” she’s interrupted by Tzuyu, whose stare has shifted to her and fiercely glares down at her best friend. The girl shrinks down and tries to hide behind their pale friend. Somi's ears perk up with curiosity but neither of Korean girls can elaborate, seeing as they are subject to the Taiwanese's "Medusa Glare".

“That glare is way more serious.. and way scarier,” Dahyun gulps as she averts eye contact with the towering girl.

 

The group spends a few more minutes talking before the first bell echoes through the halls. They start to walk to their classes as a group and break off as they reach their respective classrooms.

 

* * *

 

A few hours later the girls find each other as they are getting lunch. They wait for each other to grab utensils, napkins, drinks, etc. as the two freshmen ask where the older girls usually sit.

“We usually grab a spot outside by this certain tree if it’s nice out,” Mina says as the nine move outside. They reach the tree and settle down by its trunk in the shade. Tzuyu sits her back against the tree and eats her lunch while Chaeyoung settles down beside her and rests her head in Tzuyu’s lap. She tries to reach over to get something from the taller girl’s lunch, but her hand gets swatted away, “Chaeng, you have your own lunch. Don’t steal mine.” Chaeyoung frowns up at her before reaching over to grab her own lunch. They eat in relatively comfortable silence with Jeongyeon and Jihyo talking about different clubs and activities.

A few minutes later and the group had all finished eating their lunches. They talk about their morning classes and about what classes they have next. Chaeyoung has her sketchbook out and is trying to work on it with her head still laying in Tzuyu’s lap. Tzuyu strokes Chaeyoung’s hair mindlessly, listening to them talk while only occasionally participating in the ongoing conversation. Dahyun is resting her head on the shoulder of Momo, who is having a small side conversation with Mina. Sana sits beside Dahyun hugging Jihyo’s arm and gazes almost longingly at the tofu. Jihyo follows her gaze and pats Sana’s head fondly before resting her own head against the other’s. Jihyo then turns to look at the two youngest who are smiling fondly at each other, goofing around with an inside joke and Jihyo feels a small unexplainable pang in her heart. Tzuyu looks up and meets Jihyo’s gaze tilting her head with confusion at the older girl’s wounded expression. Jihyo mouths, “Nothing” and Tzuyu briefly frowns, not believing her but not wanting to push the subject, before turning back to look at the baby tiger’s contented smile.

Tzuyu takes a few strands of her hair to tickle the side of the girl’s face. Chaeyoung whines with an adorable annoyance as she swats Tzuyu’s hand away from her face. Suddenly, Sana spots something in the distance and stands.

“Well, looks like it’s time for me to face my first wave of the year,” she sighs as she walks to a few people by the school wall.

Mina looks and gets up too, “I see my first group too... I should go as well. We’ll talk to you guys later.” Mina stops and turns back, “Momo, I see your group too. Jeongyeon and Jihyo, I assume, will have tomorrow? Maybe Dahyun too?”

The two former nod while the third shrugs. Momo gets up and brushes off her pants, joining Mina and Sana. Tzuyu is looking between her unnies, still lost as to what exactly it is that they are talking about. Mina, Jihyo, and Sana shoot her looks that seem to say “We’ll tell you later”.

The three Japanese girls walk over to their groups of suitors. Momo accompanies Mina to her group, knowing how uncomfortable the ballerina gets when confronting her admirers alone.  Momo has her arms protectively linked with the penguin and calming her when the girl has trouble answering. The dancer then addresses her group after Mina finishes. Mina timidly stands next to Momo with their arms still linked, and then the pair returns to the group.

 

Meanwhile, on Tzuyu’s lap, Chaeyoung is fighting to keep her eyes open. Tzuyu leans down to press her forehead against the baby tiger’s. Chaeyoung’s eyes shoot open in surprise and they lock eyes before she giggles uncontrollably as the Taiwanese girl just grins playfully. Dahyun joins in with their antics and starts poking Chaeyoung’s dimples. The younger girl retaliates by reaching up and pulling on Dahyun’s cheeks. Tzuyu, now laughing, removes her face from the other and sits back to watch her short best friends roll off her lap and start to play wrestle in the grass. The duo starts laughing harder and Tzuyu’s grin widens uncontrollably out of the fondness she has for them. Jihyo moves over to try to calm the pair down. Jihyo manages to break them apart and they starfish on the ground, still giggling, breathless, and wiping tears from their eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hyped for DTNA! I pre-ordered c; and alas, I'm kinda broke now :c I'm also gonna be seeing them in concert at KCON LA, so I'm extremely excited to see and hear these queens in person. Thinking about seeing Tzuyu in person makes me die inside and makes my heart do flips [ Oh my god, I'm so gay sometimes (* >ω<) ]. *waves candy bong enthusiastically*


	3. [S/J] Tuesday - Sick Tofu / Admirer Jihyo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our little Dubu Dahyun gets sick and Sana tries her best to stay home and care for the girl. Jihyo and Tzuyu are very attached today at school, neither fully aware of the large-scale attention and jealousy.

Tuesday morning’s routine is only different from Monday’s due to the fact that Jihyo is prepared for Tzuyu’s possible attack and the fact that they are short one household member. Just as the girls start to eat breakfast, Sana speaks up, “Where’s Dahyun?”

The seven other girls turn to look at Chaeyoung for an answer. The short girl just shrugs, “I woke up after Mina-unnie, so Dubu was still asleep at that time. I thought she would be up by now..”

“I’ll go check on her!” Sana jumps up and heads down the hall before anyone can stop her.

 

Sana opens the bedroom door to see the young girl tossing and turning before kicking off her blankets, frustrated. Dahyun’s body shakes from violent coughs and Sana comes closer, seeing that the already pale girl is paler than usual.

“Hey.. Are you okay? You don’t sound so great,” Sana tentatively asks the weak looking girl.

Dahyun tries to sit up, but only manages to prop herself up on her forearms before speaking. “Wow, thanks. Very flattering. But, I’m fi--,” her answer is abruptly cut off by another wave of vicious coughs. Sana winces at the sound and at the miserable look of the younger girl.

“Give me a second. Let me get dressed for school,” speaking with her scratchy voice, Dahyun tries to usher Sana out of the room. The older girl doesn’t budge and instead moves closer to put her hand on the miserable girl’s forehead.

“Woah, you’re burning up. I’m going to go tell Jihyo that you have a fever. I’ll stay behind to take care of you okay?”

“Don’t skip just because of me; you should go to school. I’m 15, almost 16, not 7 years old. I can take care of myself.”

“What if you throw up or get worse or something? What about if you need food but are too weak to get anything? I could cook for you. You might need a new warm cloth on your head or something.”

“Look, I know how to take care of myself if I throw up. I could ask Tzuyu to bring me a small assortment of snacks just in case I’m too weak to get out of bed. I think I can at least make it across the hall to the bathroom to dampen the cloth again. Plus, you can’t cook..”

“ _None_ of us can really cook, Dahyunnie.”

“...True, but still. You know Jihyo-unnie would _really_ disapprove. ”

“Just, rest. I’ll go talk to Jihyo about it,” Sana heads out of the room before the girl can protest anymore, and Dahyun flops back down onto her bed.

 

Back in the main room, the rest of the girls are adjusting and fiddling with their uniforms as Sana speeds in. Mina looks up from fixing Momo’s uniform’s tie, Jihyo looks up from helping Chaegyoung with hers, Nayeon fixes Jeongyeon’s hair and centers the tie, and Tzuyu looks up from buttoning and straightening her uniform jacket and fixing the sleeves’ cuffs; her tie is already neatly tucked behind the jacket.

“Jihyo-ah! Dahyun-ah has a fever! Don’t wait for me. I’m going to stay home with her okay? See you guys later! Momo, you can have my lunch if you want.”

“Oh, I don’t think so,” Jihyo starts to say, but Sana has already given Momo her lunch and is rushing to cross the room to go back into the hallway.

“Hey, Sana! This girl doesn’t listen whenever she makes up her mind.. especially if it involves Dahyun,” Jihyo murmurs to herself before snapping, “Tzuyu-ah!”

“Huh?” the tall girl attentively turns towards Jihyo to listen and tilts her head questioningly.

“Get her back here. Dahyun can take care of herself perfectly fine without one of us, and Sana  I’m not letting her miss school if she’s not sick. Just pick her up, pull her, or something. You’ve got a height advantage.”

Tzuyu simply nods and goes towards Sana. She grabs both of the older girl’s wrists and starts pulling her towards the door. Sana fights back as much as she can, but the other is stronger than she thought and the height difference is giving Tzuyu leverage. Sana manages to keep her footing and pulls back and, even though pain burns through her shoulders and wrists, she barely budges. The two have come to a stalemate right in front of the apartment’s door.

“Tzu-ah, don’t dislocate her wrists or shoulders, please. And Jeongyeon, could you help her? I already got Sana’s bag from the hall.”

Jeongyeon sighs, but obliges and repositions her own bag on her shoulder before coming over to the pair.

“Tzuyu, get ready to grab under her shoulders and support her weight. I’m going to pick up her ankles,” she directs, earning a nod of affirmation from the younger.

“W-Wait! Jihyo-ah! Really?! Come on!” Sana whines as Jeongyeon lifts her up and Tzuyu stumbles at the sudden weight. They both manage to even out the weight of the person in between them, and Mina opens the front door for them. The trio starts shuffling out the door when Sana manages to grip onto the doorframe. She then sees out of the corner of her eye, that a figure was walking down the apartment hallway. It was Dahyun, who watches the struggle, amused.

“Dahyun-ah! Help me! Don’t let them take your beloved unnie away!” Sana cries out from the clutches of the two.

“I told you Jihyo wouldn’t let you get away with staying home! I’ll see you later everyone. Have a good day at school,” Dahyun croaks as she shuffles towards the kitchen. Momo breaks off from the group that’s struggling to get out the door and heads towards Dahyun.

“Here Dubu. I’ll help you get set up, so you can last until we get home from school,” she offers as she steps in to help the pale girl.

“Thanks, Momo-unnie,” Dahyun beams. Sana overhears their conversation and huffs and unconsciously loosens her grip on the doorframe, temporarily stopping her struggling from being lost in thought.

Jeongyeon and Tzuyu take this brief moment to pull the distracted girl fully out the door and down the building’s hallway. Jihyo, Mina, and Nayeon follow Sana and the two holding her down the hallway to the elevators where the girl is finally let down. She rubs her ankles and wrists, muttering to herself while Jeongyeon and Tzuyu stretch their arms.

“Sorry about that Sana,” Jihyo apologizes sheepishly as she hands the girl her bag. Momo caught up to them just as the elevator arrived and turned to report to their ‘mother’.

“She should be set until we come back home after school, but just in case, I told her to call or text you if she needs to know where certain medicines are or something.”

“Okay, thank you Momo,” Jihyo gives a satisfied and appreciative nod and pats Momo’s shoulder affectionately as she presses the lobby button and the elevator doors close.

  


The group of eight friends walks to school together, all chatting happily.. Except for Sana, who is still moping. The squirrel-faced girl is ahead of the rest, alone and sulking, with Jihyo looking on. The worried girl whispers to Tzuyu, who is walking beside her today, “Do you think she’ll be okay? I hope I didn’t go too far.” She looks up at the taller girl as she wraps her arms around the Tzuyu’s left arm, hugging it tight for reassurance.

“She’ll get over it as soon as she sees Eunha and the others at school. Don’t worry; I think you did the right thing,” Tzuyu responds softly glancing down at the girl.

“Thanks, Chewy,” Jihyo smiles and snuggles closer to her arm as she turns her gaze back to Sana. Nayeon calls out her ‘farewells’ to her friends and separates from them as per usual. Jeongyeon catches up to Jihyo and Tzuyu to talk to her longtime friend now that her usual partner has gone before heading to talk to Chaeyoung. Mina and Momo catch up to Sana and talk to try to take her mind off of things when comforting her wasn’t effective.

  


Tzuyu had assumed correctly. As soon as the school comes into view, Sana catches a glimpse of her close friend and her mood immediately lightens as she runs towards the girl, probably ready to ramble on to Eunha about how overly worried she is. Jihyo has detached herself from Tzuyu to let the two youngest break off towards their group of school friends. She watches the two warmly as Chaeyoung energetically skips off to meet their friends, who are walking towards them to meet the pair, as the tall girl trails behind her at a much more relaxed pace. Jihyo chuckles to herself when Tzuyu shakes her head, exasperated at her best friend’s childish demeanor when suddenly the short girl turns around. Chaeyoung bounces towards her grabs the sleeve of the taller’s uniform, and gently drags Tzuyu to their friends who are also smiling at the two’s antics.

As Jihyo watches them go through their daily routine she notices, like every day at school, that many pairs of eyes were watching the pair, but mostly taller girl specifically. The gazes belonged to both the boys and the girls at their high school. The girl understood why their gazes were directed at Tzuyu and often found herself subject to the same reason to stare. Chaeyoung also has some people admiring her, seeing as the girl is cute, has gorgeous looks, a golden heart, and is extremely talented but not as many as her tall counterpart. Even though Jihyo knew the motivations, that didn’t mean that she wasn’t overprotective at times. She soon found herself admiring the Taiwanese girl’s appearance again.

Tzuyu’s long gorgeous hair flows down her slender shoulders in silky and elegant waves. It glints beautifully in the morning sunlight and compliments her complexion. Her ears would occasionally poke out from beneath the cover of her hair, which Jihyo found particularly adorable. Suddenly, Tzuyu turns around and starts walking towards her. Jihyo starts to blush and turns away acting as if she is focused on something else, embarrassed because she thinks she had been caught staring by the other. If Tzuyu noticed, she doesn’t say anything and sends a genuine smile in her direction. The beaming smile makes Jihyo’s heart skip a beat at the unexpected, pure expression. She shyly waves at the younger in response.

“Tzuyu, why did you come back towards me? Don’t you want to spend time with your friends?” Jihyo questions as the tall girl gets in earshot and they start walking together. The Taiwanese girl shortens her strides to match Jihyo’s pace.

“What? I can’t spend some more time with my favorite unnie?”

Jihyo looks down and shuffles her feet at the comment. Tzuyu lets out a giggle and pats her head.

“Actually, I just wanted to ask you if we have student council after school today? And, besides, I could use a quiet morning every once and a while, away from Chaeyoung and Dahyun’s friends. Their energy drains me sometimes.”

Jihyo clears her throat and looks up into the girl’s eyes, “Oh yes. There is student council after school, but it’ll just be us today in the room. Mina has dance practice with Momo and the rest of the dance club.”

Tzuyu nods thoughtfully and they stroll side by side at a leisurely pace in comfortable silence until Jihyo decides to ask, “Have you given any thought on clubs or sports? I’m sure many, if not all, of the clubs want you to join them.”

The girl shakes her head, “I’m not sure yet. I’m thinking about taking on archery or track for a sport. Jeongyeon-unnie is also trying her absolute best to get me on the basketball team.”

“That does sound like our Jeong, our little jock,” Jihyo smiles at the fond image of her long time and charming best friend who has a passion for sports, particularly basketball, and has the more tomboyish style out of the 8 other girls she’s living with.

 

“For a club… None really catch my eye. Besides they’re all pining and competing for my attention which can get really annoying.”

“You’ve always been difficult to sway, but easy to irritate,” Jihyo pauses, “What about joining the swim team? Your long limbs might give you a bit of an advantage.”

Tzuyu turns to look at her with a small smirk and shining mischievous eyes. Jihyo starts to regret her comment as she dreads the sly remark that is surely coming.

“Is that just an excuse to see me in a swimsuit?” Tzuyu teases with a low voice.

 

Out of all the things Jihyo expected to be thrown back at her, this brave tease was not one of them. She expected a remark along the lines of “ _‘Long limbs’... Is that your way of calling me a freak because I’m tall?_ ”, but the girl is instantly caught off guard by the words and the younger’s words and her expression. She feels her face turn bright red as she turns her gaze back to her shoes and coughs to try and hide her evident embarrassment.

“Th-That’s not what I meant Chewy-ah!” she sputters out, panicked. Jihyo’s heart starts to run wild as Tzuyu lets out a short laugh that Jihyo swears is the most beautiful laugh she has ever heard. “ _What is happening? Why am I like this? Stop it Jihyo!_ “ Jihyo thinks and scolds herself.

“I was just kidding, unnie. I know you wouldn’t think things like that… Or would you?” Tzuyu decides to add. Jihyo’s voice gets caught in her throat and she chokes on air before she tries desperately to clear her throat.

“You’re too easy Jihyo-unnie,” Tzuyu grins, “Never mind all of that. Maybe I would consider doing swimming if I knew _how_  to swim.”

Jihyo looks up at her, surprised. “You can’t swim?” She shapes her mouth into an ‘o’ as the other shakes her head. “Can I teach you sometime then?”

Tzuyu nods and lets Jihyo recover and calm down in silence before she links arms with the older girl. The latter looks up at her, surprised at the sudden contact, and sees that Tzuyu’s face has lit up. She’s smiling, giddy, and her eyes shine with joy.

“Unnie, I’m going to be helping at the dog shelter a few blocks away in the square. I might also do dog walking!” the girl beams.

“I feel the need to get a part-time job. I don’t want you guys to take the rent on your own. I want to chip in so you can buy stuff for yourself!” Tzuyu adds which makes Jihyo smile at the young girl’s thoughtfulness and how, even though she may tease a lot, she deep down cares about them all. She sometimes tends to put their feelings before her own. Don’t get Jihyo wrong, the selflessness is honorable, but she gets worried about whether or not the Taiwanese girl neglects herself and puts her needs last too often.

 

Tzuyu is all smiles as she continues to rant happily about dogs to Jihyo. A grin works its way onto her face at the pure innocence and joy of the cute and adorable childish side that Tzuyu rarely ever shows, especially in public. The hypnotic feeling from the moment of bliss fades a little and Jihyo remembers their arms are linked together tightly. She becomes suddenly aware of the attention they were gaining. “Tzuyu..? People are staring.”

“I know. What of it?”

“They might start rumors.”

The Taiwanese girl just shrugs in response and sighs as she sees Chaeyoung waving frantically for her in the distance. Jihyo nudges her.

“Just go to your friends. We can talk again at lunch.”

Tzuyu sighs again, unlinks their arms and adjusts her strides as she transitions to walking at her natural pace. Jihyo instantly misses the familiar warmth and comforting company of her maknae as loneliness envelopes her in one swift movement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been meaning to update, but with school starting recently, it's been hard for me to find the time to work. I also have an idea that I would put in between this chapter and the next that I have written (there's a huge time gap between them), but I'm trying to figure out how to add on to the idea that bridges the chapters and make them long enough to be a chapter of their own.


	4. [N] Thursday - Partners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tzuyu is assigned a partner for a science fair project and her friends tease her about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this took me so long ;; I updated this on AFF a while ago and forgot to post it here too.

Tzuyu was constantly asked out. There was no real "schedule" for her confessions. She was asked by friends of the people who were crushing on her, with random notes found at her desk or in her bag, at lunch, at the end of class, in the halls, messages left in her locker, at the student council room, on and off school grounds... Almost anywhere at any time, you name it. Hell, they sometimes try to get one of Tzuyu's 7 housemates to pass on a message. Luckily no one had been able to leak her phone number or email, and that students apparently struggle with finding her social media, she is spared from the fate of her phone being bombarded. Jihyo, Mina, and especially Tzuyu get fed up with the number of people regularly knocking at the student council door in the middle of their work just to ask Tzuyu out. Those boys' bravery, or stupidity, gave a few others the courage to do the same with Jihyo or Mina. So they decided to have their own little mailboxes posted outside of the room in the hall. They checked their boxes every other day, but Tzuyu often had to empty it every single day due to the mess that would pile up in the mere 6 hours of school. Anyone that came up to ask her in person, she declined them as politely as possible. Any of the notes, she didn't respond to and put them in the recycling after reading them.

Chaeyoung, Sana, Dahyun, and Jeongyeon often like to tease them about it. Nayeon sometimes gets involved when poking fun at Jihyo and Tzuyu but she tends to be a lot more gentle towards the youngest and not as much to her childhood friend. No one tries to tease Mina about it, or if they do, Sana and, especially, Momo get protective of her and send light glares to them. Momo tends to glare longer than Sana and latch on to the Japanese girl with a tight and protective hug to try to physically shield her from the verbal embarrassment. She once even went as far as to cover the younger dancer's ears and started to reprimand the others. Mina had to lightly tug Momo's hands away from her ears and tell her that it was, "Alright, really. Calm down, Momoring." Momo then relented with a huff as she decided to settle down and snuggle into the crook of Mina's neck, still occasionally sending warning glances as if to say "I'm watching you."

After the few girls get out their giggles, they spend the rest of their day hanging out together whether that be talking, playing games, or eating together. They find solace in being side-by-side while doing and complaining about having to do homework. They often help each other study and try to make each other less nervous about quizzes or tests, while sometimes simultaneously making everyone more stressed, depending on who is doing the pep-talk. If they end up having school as the last focus for the night, most of them carry the thoughts of school to bed. The girls sometimes fall asleep whilst thinking about the class they dread the most that they will have the next day.

\---------------------

"Today I am assigning a mandatory science fair project that you will do in pairs." Tzuyu sighs at the teacher's announcement and watches as people ready themselves to race to ask her to be their partner. "And no, you cannot pick your own partners," the teacher finishes.   
Tzuyu holds back a laugh as she sees her eager classmates deflate at the statement. Even though she feels more comfortable working by herself or with her friends, none of her housemates are in this class, so she'll take what she can get.

"Wu Zhao and Chou Tzuyu," the teacher calls a few pairs later. "Zhao, go sit with Tzuyu. I see that, as usual, the seat next to her is available." 

The seat next to Tzuyu in the pair of desks was always empty. Her peers either found her presence too overwhelming to sit next to in close proximity for an hour and a half or they were not willing to be subjected to the jealous glances of others. Without having to talk about it, the spot was unofficially marked as a no-man's-land. The invisible barrier around the seat had been broken to allow the chosen one that was Zhao, for a few weeks. All eyes are on him as he gets up and makes his way to where Tzuyu sat, waiting for him. When he stopped at the side of the desk, the teacher moved on to call the remaining pairs. The other classmates murmured and turned their attention back to the teacher.

"H-Hi," he says gently in Mandarin and bows his head politely.  
Her ears perk up at the sound of her first language. "Hello," Tzuyu says back, returning his gesture with a polite smile ghosting her lips.

Zhao tentatively sits down and both he and Tzuyu turn their attention back to the teacher, who finishes matching the remaining classmates. After they are given the requirements and due dates, the teacher lets the class figure out their projects.

"If you don't mind, I'd prefer that we keep talking like this. My Korean isn't very good," Zhao turns to Tzuyu.

"Of course. I understand," Tzuyu smiles at him and he ducks his head. By the time the two manage to figure out their project and have their teacher approve of the choice, the bell rings.

"We don't have class tomorrow to work on this some more, so if you would give me your phone number, we can figure out the details. We can make plans that way since we won't really be seeing each other outside of class," Tzuyu suggests as she slings her bag over her shoulder and holds out her hand to Zhao. 

It takes him a moment to figure out what she's looking for and he takes out his phone and opens it to the contacts list. Instead of adding herself to his list, she simply puts his number in her phone before she hands it back to him.

"I'll text you either later today or tomorrow about arranging where we should meet up to work on the project," Tzuyu says as she waves back at him from the open classroom door without turning to look at him as she disappears behind the corner and into the hallway.

Tzuyu sets a reminder on her phone to text him later and puts her phone in her pocket, forgetting about the device for the rest of the day.

\---------------------

Chaeyoung's dimpled smile is revealed to Tzuyu as she closes her locker, "Hey Chae."

"You ready to go home?" Tzuyu nods. Chaeyoung bounces to Tzuyu's side as they leave the school grounds.

"I talked to Somi a lot today," the shorter girl beams. Tzuyu hums. "She thought it'd been fun if all four of us hung out again like when we used to a while back. You, me, Dahyun, and her."

"That sounds nice," Tzuyu agrees, "just get Dahyun to agree. I won't go along if I'm going to end up being the third wheel."

"What? No, you wouldn't be," Tzuyu raises an eyebrow at Chaeyoung, "okay, nevermind. You're right. I'll ask Dahyun."

The taller girl nods satisfactorily and pulls out her phone when she remembers to text Zhao. A faint refreshing feeling runs through her as she types with the nearly neglected Chinese characters.

 

2:40 p.m. Tzuyu: It's Tzuyu. We should figure out when to meet to keep working on the project. Also, when you save my number, try to make it so someone wouldn't know it's me if they peak over your shoulder. I also ask that you don't give my number out.

 

Only a few seconds after she sends, she sees the message is marked as read and a message being typed.

 

2:40 p.m. Zhao: Oh yes! And thank you for remembering my language preference. My skills in reading and writing in Hangul are much worse than my speaking and listening skills.

2:41 p.m. Tzuyu: Haha, of course! I was like that too when I first came to Korea a few years ago, so I understand completely. It is refreshing to be able to speak, listen, write and read in my mother tongue every once in a while. :)

2:41 p.m. Zhao: I feel very relieved to have been able to talk to you. I know a few other boys who transferred with me, but it was only the four of us until I got to talk to you. I saw you on stage during the assembly at the beginning of the year, but when my friends and I learned that you speak Mandarin we were all like "But how do we even begin to approach someone so beautiful??"

 

Tzuyu blushes at the sudden compliment, prompting a glance from Chaeyoung. The shorter girl stands on her tiptoes and jumps to try and peek over Tzuu's shoulder. But, she sighs in defeat when she gets a glimpse of Chinese characters.

"Who ya textin'?" Chaeyoung asks in a sing-song voice.

"Just my partner for this project."

"Suuure~," she teases and wiggles her eyebrows. Tzuyu lightly shoves Chaeyoung with her shoulder before returning her attention to her phone.

 

2:43 p.m. Tzuyu: You're lucky you got paired with me then or you might've never talked to me.

2:43 p.m. Zhao: Yes, I got VERY lucky. :) Are you free tomorrow after school to work?

2:43 p.m. Tzuyu: Yes and no. I have student council after school, but I'm free after that. I don't think you want to wait an hour for me to finish, so I can just give you my address?

2:44 p.m. Zhao: Oh ok, sure! I can come over near 5 then to give you time to get home and do stuff.

2:44 p.m. Tzuyu: Sounds good! Also, don't be surprised if I'm not the one who gets the door, though I will try to be, as I live with 8 other people. Also, please don't give out our address...

2:44 p.m. Zhao: No of course not! That's just a creepy thing to do! And wow :o 8 others huh. Well, it's settled. I'll see you tomorrow then! I'll bring my bag with a few materials.

2:45 p.m. Tzuyu: Cool, see you tomorrow then! :)

 

Tzuyu turns off her phone, puts it back in her pocket and smiles.

"What's Yoda smiling about?" She turns her head to see that Dahyun has caught up with the   
two of them.

"Tzu's got a boyyyfrienddd," Chaeyoung teases. Tzuyu smacks her on the head.

"No! I told you, Chae, I was just talking to my partner for the science fair project that we were assigned today."

"Eugh, the science fair project. I remember that hell. Good thing is that it's only mandatory for freshman year," Dahyun grimaces.

"Woohoo!" Chaeyoung cheers. "Thank god," Tzuyu sighs.

"Anyway, he'll be coming over tomorrow so we can work."

"Oooh~ Our Chewy's got a date~," Dahyun teases with a sing-song voice and wiggles her eyebrows.

"Chewy's got a daate~," Chaeyoung echoes.

"Why you two..." Tzuyu grumbles and chases them the short distance left to get to their apartment building. They finally stop teasing when they reach the door to the building which Mina is holding open. Two panting girls make their way inside to join their friends waiting for an elevator with an only slightly winded taller girl close behind them.

"What's all this yelling about a date?" Mina clears her throat and comments as she closes the door behind Tzuyu. All the other girls turn to look at her, one of Jihyo's eyebrows raised, Jeongyeon's arms crossed, and Momo and Sana looking at her with proud, curious, and excited eyes. Dahyun and Chaeyoung snicker as Tzuyu fumbles out her answer.

"N-No, no! It's not like that unnies I swear! It's just that my partner for the paired science fair project will be coming over tomorrow so we can work. Please don't scare him away."

"Uh huh, yeah sure... Is he cute?" Sana winks at her.

"U-Unnie!" "Sana!" Tzuyu and Jihyo call out at the same time.

"He... He's one of the new students from China..." Tzuyu mumbles.

"Ooh! All the foreign students are pretty cute this year. I bet you two will look so cute together~," Sana grins as she bounces over and links arms with Tzuyu.

"Unnie..!" Tzuyu groans as her head falls down and her long hair covers her face.

"Unnie's just teasing~" Sana giggles. "But seriously, let me know if you need date advice. Fashion, flirting, or anything else! Love Guru Sana is at your service!"

"Please don't ever call yourself that again," Dahyun cringes.

"But Dahyunie~" Sana changes her target to Dahyun. She unlinks her and Tzuyu's arms and advances on Dahyun. Dahyun's eyes drift to Sana's hips as she sways them with every step. Dahyun quickly looks up the second she realizes that she's staring. Big mistake. Her eyes automatically lock with the older girl's as she slinks closer. Sana's dark eyes twinkle and the corner of her lip turns up into a sultry smirk. Dahyun gulps and manages to her head away when Sana is right in front of her.

"I do pretty good with you though, don't I?" Sana bends her back so she's slightly looking up at the younger girl.

The pale skin of Dahyun's cheeks flush a dusty pink as she struggles to respond with the very faint feeling of Sana's breath on her neck, "I-uh-you-uh..."

"See, Tzu!" Sana spins around to grin at Tzuyu triumphantly. Dahyun breathes out a sigh of relief and hurries over closer to the elevator.

"Uh, yeah. I'll keep that in mind then? I guess?" Tzuyu mumbles, trying to dismiss the conversation.

"Our little Tzuyu's blushing!" Sana teases.

Tzuyu ducks her head to try and hide her face, but Jihyo sees her reddening ears protruding from her hair that are a dead giveaway. She huffs audibly as she sharply turns away from Sana and Tzuyu and strides into the newly arrived elevator. The other girls exchange glances and follow in after her. 

 

The short ride up to the fourth floor is relatively silent. As soon as the elevator door opens, Jihyo is the first one to exit and she quickly makes her way to their apartment door with no word or glance at the others. They trail after her and watch as she opens the door and slams it shut behind her. The other girls stop a just few doors away, stunned.

"Wha- Did... Did I do or say something wrong?" Tzuyu asks quietly.

"Don't worry about it Tzuyu. Mina or I will talk to her. Or Nayeon, when she gets home from her last lecture. Right, Minari?" Jeongyeon assures the youngest, patting her head fondly. Mina nods at her with a small comforting smile.

"Okay..." Tzuyu sighs and the group moves down the rest of the hallway and enter the apartment. Jihyo is nowhere to be found in the main room or kitchen. The girls shrug off their bags and shoes and move to their rooms to change out of their uniforms.

"Jihyo, I need to change. Let me in!" Jeongyeon knocks on the door to their room. The door opens a crack and a hand pokes out to shove clothes in Jeongyeon's arms before closing again. Jeongyeon sighs and moves to a bathroom to change. They all finish and spread out around the apartment to do various things, excluding Jihyo who is still shut in her room.

Five minutes pass before Jeongyeon sighs and gets up from her spot on the couch. Tzuyu watches her as she moves down the hallway and stops in front of her shared room. The younger girl quietly gets up from her seat at the kitchen island and waits and watches Jeongyeon from a few doors down.

"Hey, Jihyo. You know you can talk to me right?" Jeongyeon tentatively asks. Silence. "Are you ready to talk to me yet?"

"...No," a muffled voice comes from behind the door.

"Okay... Come get me if you need me," Jeongyeon says as she turns away from the door and heads back down the hallway. She runs a hand through her hair and sighs. She notices Tzuyu watching and pats her shoulder as she passes.

"Mina," Jeongyeon goes over to the ballerina reading who has Momo's head resting in her lap. Mina looks up and Jeongyeon motions with her head back towards the closed door. Mina nods and silently gets up as Momo mumbles at the displacement. Tzuyu watches as Mina passes her and knocks on the door.

"Jihyo, it's Mina. Do you want to talk?"

"...No thanks, Mina."

"Alright..." Mina sighs and shoots Tzuyu a shrug and a half-hearted smile when she passes the taller girl on her way back to the couch.

Momo cuddles back up against Mina and sighs contentedly when Mina starts absentmindedly playing with her hair after she returns to her book. Tzuyu glances one last time at Jihyo's closed bedroom door before moving into the living room to join her friends.

"Nayeon just texted me. She said to tell her if we want to order out so she can pick up food on her way back," Jeongyeon announces.

"Woo, Nayeon-unnie!" Dahyun and Chaeyoung pump their fists in the air. Momo nods vigorously at Jeongyeon.

"I guess we're ordering out then. Dumplings?"

"Dumplings!" the three echo.

Jeongyeon turns back to her phone and texts her girlfriend back. "Okay, done. She'll be home with food in twenty minutes," she announces. "Hopefully, Jihyo might be willing to talk to her," she sighs and runs her hand through her hair again, looking at Mina and Tzuyu who nod back at her. 

Tzuyu turns her head once more to look at the closed bedroom door wistfully. She also sighs, feeling confused and slightly upset with herself. Was Jihyo mad at her? Why was she mad at her? Did something happen? The young girl busies herself as she anticipates Nayeon, hoping the oldest girl can get through to Jihyo when she gets home. She wants to know, it's killing her that she doesn't know how to help, or if she even can.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm working on chapter 4, but I recently updated just to change some wording here and there. Sorry if I got your hopes up ;; I'm working on it I promise!
> 
> Hope you've liked reading so far!
> 
> Discord (Recommended way to reach me!): Luxy#2318  
> Instagram: @Luxziie


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